🙋‍♀️🫶 Want to support women? Read this.

🥳 Happy Birthday to B-Side Member Laura! Not to brag, but we kinda nailed it with your gift.

👀 What’s on tap today:

Up first…

Happy (early) International Women’s Day, Boston! To celebrate, for this month’s edition of small biz telephone tag, we asked some of our fav women-owned businesses to share the women-owned businesses that inspire them.

Here’s what they said:

🙋‍♀️ Madeleine’s Candy Shop loves Perch Boston. Madeleine Brason knew Sam Okrasinski was a “rock star” before they were both in business — as her neighbor! Okrasinski is Perch’s chef de cuisine, working to offer intimate community dining experiences with locally sourced food in the South End. “It's a really, really cool concept that's designed around bringing people together,” Brason said. Now, the two have bonded in a new way, swapping advice about permitting processes or the best photographers in the hallway. Perch has even offered her candy as a treat for guests.

🚺 Perch Boston loves Boon Plant & Flower Bar. “Being in business is hard. Being a woman in business is even more difficult,” Okrasinski said. In order to be successful “you have to make space and you have to take up space,” and Boon’s owner Liz Boufford has helped her feel empowered to do it. Boon is "definitely a labor of love, and there's not a detail missed,” Okrasinski said. “I have a lot of respect for what she does, and you can tell she really takes care of her team.”

👩‍❤️‍👩 Boon Plant & Flower Bar loves Pipe Dream Pottery. Boufford has known Pipe Dream’s owner Michaela Wasson for years, which means she’s had a front row seat to the business's growth from “a passion” to a full-scale operation. She’s even made a mug for Miley Cyrus(!). Naturally, Pipe Dream Pottery has been on Boon’s shelves since it opened in 2024. “One thing that's very inspiring about her,” said Boufford, “she was one of the first artists to really embrace the female body in her pieces in a way that makes it kind of fun and playful.” 

👭 Pipe Dream Pottery loves Goldie Ceramics. Wasson met Goldie Ceramics owner Marcy Kenney through the communal art studio they belong to. They bonded over their shared love of to-go cups, “cute striped pottery,” and by bouncing ideas off of each other in their communal space. “I love how she started pottery [just a few] years ago, and now she's opening up her own business,” Wasson said. I can't believe how quickly she did it and how well she does it.” 

📱☕ Ever spot a headline that made you think, “I wish I could do something?” This National Social Work Month, Boston College School of Social Work’s Master of Social Work program gives you the tools to lead change. Ranked #1 in New England and #8 nationally by U.S. News & World Report, BCSSW provides students with hands-on experience across hospitals, schools, nonprofits, and policy agencies, equipping them to tackle racial, economic, and social injustices with real solutions. 100% of accepted students receive scholarships, no GRE required. Apply by March 15 and learn how to make a positive difference in those headlines you see every day.

🙋‍♀️ Speaking of International Women’s Day … Need some ideas for how to celebrate? On March 6, PickleBOS is hosting its first women’s-only play from 6 to 8 p.m. March 7 and 8 is Estrogina Weekend, a free, two-day women’s empowerment experience at Artists for Humanity featuring workout classes, a marketplace, panels, and performances. And on March 8, there’s Liberty Hotel’s Power of She Vendor Stroll where you can shop women-owned businesses (and sip free wine!), and a women’s day polar plunge at Castle Island by Tomorrow’s Women Today. BOOM.

🐶 Mass. is about to hit a very good milestone. A.k.a. “no-kill” animal shelter status, a term some advocates use for when at least 90% of a state’s shelter animals are adopted (generally, the other 10% are considered unsound for adoption). According to WBUR, Mass. is only 300 cat and dog adoptions away, which would make it the fifth state to hit the milestone this year, alongside New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island, and Delaware. Not ready for a cat or dog? May we suggest … a rat?

⚽ All aboard the Boston Legacy FC train! Boston’s newest pro soccer team is playing its very first game at Gillette on March 14, and the MBTA is offering a special event train to and from the game for the 20,000-and-counting fans. The Legacy train will leave South Station at 10:05 a.m., stopping at Back Bay and Dedham, before pulling into Foxboro at 11:05 a.m. It’ll head back 30 minutes after the final whistle. Tickets will run you $20, and they’ll drop on March 9 at 11 a.m.  in the mTicket app. LET’S GO!!!

☕ RFK Jr. could be coming for your Dunkin’. No joke! The Secretary of Health and Human Services put Dunks on blast last week at an “Eat Real Food” rally in Texas, threatening to restrict its sugary drinks  — which, FWIW, do have a lot of sugar — unless they’re proven “safe.” While it’s unclear if and how he’ll follow through on the threat, the responses from Mass. officials and residents were expectedly unhinged. See: Gov. Healey saying “come and take it,” and more than a few references to the Boston Tea Party.

🍫 Head to a chocolate extravaganza. Ice cream, hot chocolate, bon bons, and more will be FREE for the tasting at Harvard Square Business Association’s annual taste of chocolate event on March 7.

🍁 Sip local maple syrup. Somerville’s annual Maple Boil Down returns on March 7, where gallons of local tree sap will become fresh maple syrup right before your eyes.

🌱 Plant a seed. Calling all failed plant parents: This free seed-starting workshop on March 7 will teach you how to properly take an indoor plant from seedling to a strong, healthy adult.

🏅 Catch a Paralympics party. If you’re looking for a place to cheer Team USA, Drawdown Brewing will host watch parties for the games’ biggest moments. This weekend: hockey and snowboarding.

🥯 Catch the hottest tour in town. The Fishwife Bagel tour, duh! The Gen Z-approved tinned fish brand is setting up shop at Brick Street Bagels from March 7 to 8 and offering some special sammies.

🐻‍❄️ Get cold for a cause. On March 8, The Shamrock Splash invites you to polar plunge into Boston Harbor from Constitution Beach in support of Save The Harbor. There will be brews, bites, freebies, and more!

🏃‍♀️ Get strong with stong women. “Bachelor” alum Juliana Pasquarosa is hosting a heated sculpt class with Volo on March 8 for International Women’s Day. Expect freebies and giveaways from women-owned businesses.

💦 Break a sweat for spring break. Fit Scene and PKL are collabing for a spring break-themed workout ~experience~ on March 8. Think: A HIIT and sculpt class followed by a wellness vendor village.

Lock in, B-Siders. We’re watching “Top Chef.” ‘Cause Quincy’s own Laurence Louie is competing!

Louie, who opened modern Hong Kong cafe Rubato in 2022, is no stranger to attention. Since Rubato opened, he’s racked up local and national acclaim, including a James Beard semifinalist nod for Best Chef: Northeast AND he’s a “Chopped” champion to boot.

Now, he’ll be New England’s sole representative on the show’s 23rd season, which focuses on Southern food, competing for $250,000 and a slate of fancy prizes. The season has already been shot over eight weeks in the Carolinas, so all that’s left to do is tune in. 

You can watch Chef Louis live on Bravo TV on Monday at 9 p.m., or catch it the next day on Peacock.

— Written by Gia Orsino

🍗 Thanks for reading! If he can find a way to get his Fried Chicken Bolo in front of the judges … we’re pretty sure he can’t lose.

💜 Special shoutout to today’s sponsor, Boston College School of Social Work, for supporting local journalism and empowering the next generation of change-makers.

🫘 The results are in: The B-Siders are not in agreement on who has the best espresso martini, with 28% choosing to write in a spot. One reader said: “Game On has Boston’s biggest espresso martini. Bigger = better.” Girl …

💃 Keep up with us @BostonBSide on IG, TikTok, and Twitter. Send comments and suggestions to [email protected] or [email protected].